Michelle Manfroni enjoys living in her Cedarbrook apartment on Beaver Avenue.

"The benefits of living in an apartment outweigh the benefits of living in the dorms," said Manfroni (sophomore-architectural engineering).

The challenge of budgeting in an apartment may have some students feeling overwhelmed, but it can be done effectively without a lot of effort, she said.

To begin saving money in an apartment, start with the apartment lease itself and sign with a group of people, Manfroni said.

She also said to sign with a realtor that will pay the utilities for you.

"We pay one flat rate a month, and don't worry about running the water and leaving lights on," she said.

For those leases where the utilities are not included, Kirk Lauer of Lauer Electric, 376 Park Lane, has some energy-saving tips.

He said little things help with energy conservation.

"Something as simple as rolling up a towel and putting it under a doorframe to keep drafts out, and remembering to turn of the lights makes a difference," Lauer said.

He also said changing the lighting arrangements could lower electric bills.

"Use fluorescent bulbs that use less wattage, and reduced wattage [incandescent] bulbs," he said.

The only utilities Manfroni and her roommates pay for are the phone and Internet.

"I have a cell phone to make my long distance calls to make the regular phone bill cheaper," she said.

Manfroni said that planning ahead works well when a budget needs to be kept.

She said she goes to her bank's ATM and takes out enough money at the beginning of the week to last throughout, saving on withdrawal fees.

"I have an account at home, and an account at the [Penn State Federal] Credit Union in the HUB," she said. "I go to the HUB ATM because it is free for me."

Manfroni admits that the pressures of friends and roommates going out to eat makes her budgeting a bit more of a challenge.

"I take out more money than I know I will need, because if a friend asks me to go with them, I know I will," she said.

Another suggested money-saver is shopping for groceries and personal items away from the downtown State College area.

John Wilson, store manager at Wal-Mart, 1665 N. Atherton St., said his store strives to fit students' budgets. "We shop all the competitors in town, and we always have the lowest price," Wilson said.

Manfroni has discount cards for many area chain stores, and keeps her options open about where to shop while using them.

Wilson said that buying generic store brands is also a way to save money.

"It makes so much difference in the amount of money saved, and I have always been satisfied with the store brand," he said.

Bob Ditullio, merchandising manager for Wegman's Food Market, 345 Lowes Blvd., described his store's price strategy for generic items.

"With fair and consistent pricing, our customers get low prices every day because we use the money companies paid us to run their promotions to lower the cost of items throughout the store," he said.

Even though budgeting money for an apartment or house in the State College area can be a hassle, frugal spending is worth it when compared to dorm and meal plan costs, Manfroni said.

"I figured it out on a calculator, and I am saving a lot of money living in an apartment," she said.